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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — a short time
  10. row — a line
  11. clip — for paper
  12. row — to paddle
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pass — a permit
  17. drill — the tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com